Road-bed equipment.



E0. 855,643. PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907. J. D. KNBEDLBR..

RGAD BED EQUIPMENT. APPLIOATION FILED rms. 21, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No.v 855,643.

PATENTED JUNE 19W. J. D. KNEBDLER. ROAD BED EQUIPMENT. APPLIGATION FILED PEB. 21

2 SHEETS -SHEET 2.

i T all whom t may concern:

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application led February 21, 1907. Serial No. 358.586.

Be it known that l, J onN DEAN KNEEDLER, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Sioux City, in the county of `Woodbury and State of iowa, ha ve invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Bed Equipment; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. y

My invention relates to new and useful i1n proveniente 'in road-bed equipment and is designed as improvement over a former patent iled by me under date of August 20, Ai906, and allowed lov. i3, 1906.

My obiect is to provide a suitable cushioning plate for the rail whereby the jar coincident to the stroke of the driving wheels of the engine will be compensated for by the cushioning plate and eliminate the jar from the tie.

A further object is to provide means for readily securing the several parts of the equipment together' after the bed blocks have been placed in osition.

Other o jects and advantages will be here'- inafter referred Vto andmore particularly pointed out in the claims. v

in the accompanying drawin s 'which are made a part of t is application, ivure l is a top plan view of a'section of a tracli` showing my improved road-bed equipment in position thereul'ider. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale as seen on line 2-2 Fig. l. Fig. S is a sectional view as seen on line 3-3 big. l. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of vone of the rails showing my improved equipment secured thereto. Fig. 5 is atop plan view oione oi' the rail chairs. Fig. is a perspective view of a locking device for securing the rails in position on the chair, and, Fig. 7 is a view, partly in section, showin the manner oi applying the rail chair and cus lion plates to the common form of wooden tie.

" Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, l indicates a bed block which is preferably provided with extensions 2 and 3, the extensions 2 being designed to extend belowl the rails 4 while the extensions 3 are 'made longer than the extensions 2. and are adapted to receive and form a su port -for a metallic tie 5, said being cmp eyed to secure the bed-blocks .t m and hold the same from lateral movement and spaced a predetermined distance apart. The body of the bed-block 1 is provided at its central portion with a cavity 6 in which is seated a rail chair 7.

Each corner of the rail chair 7 is provided with a post 8 which posts 8 form channels for the reception of the tie 5 and the base of the rails 4, the tie 5 being seated directly on the floor of the chairs 7, said posts being reinforced by means of flanges 9 which are lc cated in the channel formed to receive the base of the rail. i l

It is my desire to Aform the bed blochsof any suitable form of plastic material and in order to prevent the same from becoming distact of the wheels with the rails i dispose' in the 1pottom of the cavity 6 and iinmediateiy below the rail chair 7 a cushion late 1G upon which said rail chair rests and Falso dispose between the base of the rails and the metallic tie 5, an auxiliary cushion plate ll, said cushion plates being preferably formed of Babbitt metal, orvlike soft metals so that the same will have a yielding tendehcy.

In equipping railways with block systems it is the common practice to use one rail of' the trackway to convey electric currents and -it is my object to form the cushion plates of vnonconducting material so that the upper cushion plate will insulate the track rail from the tie 5 so that the electric current will not pass through the metal tic and into the opposite rail. Y

` The auxiliary plate 11 is so arranged that it Will support the base of the rails 4 sli htly above .the surface ci the bed-block an eX- tensions 2 so that when the wheels-of the train en age the rails the jar causedby the Stroke ot the wheels will be received by the integrated from the jar caused by the concushion plates, when by the time the rail en gages the surface of the bed block and extensions 2 the weight of the train, only, will be directed thereon which is a very important item as it has been found in practice IOO that a constant jar directly upon the bed-i;I

'blocks coincident tc trains passing tliereover soon causes the bed blocks to crumble and-be destroyedl The bottom of the bed block and the en tensions thereon are provided with longitudinally extending grooves 12 and v13, the Walls of which diver e so that the earth upon which the bed locks rest will thorou hly pack in the grooves and prevent casua displacement ci the bed blocks.

:a erases plate While the upper ends 18 of the securing bolts are preferably formed angular and disposed one upon each side of the baseof the rail and extend a su'liicient distanceabove the same to receive clamps 19, one edge of which is cut away to fit the contour of the rail base and is clamped thereon by means of wedges or the like 20, said wedges extendin through ways 21 in the upper ends of the olts, the openings 19EL in the clamps' 19 being angular to receiye the angular ends of the bolts 16 so that said bolts will be held against rotation when secured in. the clamps.

In order to insert the bolts 16 into engagement with the locking plates 14 after the bed blocks have been placed in position I provide slots 22 through the central portion of the bed blocks, said slots being of suilicient width to receive the elongated headsv 17 While the plate 14 is likewise provided with openings 23 which register with the slots 22` so that when the heads 1 7 are properly placed within the upper end of the slots 22 they may be directed entirely through the bed blocks and plates 14 and in order to hold the bolts rigid with the locking plates, I provide lugs 24 upon the bolts 16 and in line with the elongated heads 17, so that as soon as the heads 17 are projected through the openings 23 the bolts 16 may be partially rotated which will result in extending the lugs 24 and heads 17 at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the openings 23 and engage the adjacent portions of the locking pate between the lugs and head.

While 'I have shown the openings in the rail chair and parts carried thereby as snugly fitting the upper ends of the bolts 16 it will be understood that said openings may be constructed of the saine size as the slots 22 so that the bolts may be directed through the several parts after the same have been assembled upon the bed blocks.

1n Fig. 7 of the drawing I have shown my referred manner of securing my improved orm of rail chair and cushion plate to the usual form of wooden tie and in this instance the bed block is dispensed with and the rail chair placed directly upon the tie, after which spikes or the like 25 may be directed throu h' the openings in the rail chair and into t e tie thus securing the rail in position upon the chair.

In order to prolong the life of the bed blocks i prefer to round the several corners thereon so that when encountered by any solid object they will not become .readily chipped and broken as would be the caso if said corners were left square or pointed.

By this construction it will be seen that l have providednieans for cushioning the jar caused by a. train traveling overthe rails and by elevating the base of the rail slightly above the surface of the bed block and disposing the same u on cushion plates the noise of the train wi l be materially lessened and the abrupt jar entirely removed from the bed blocks, and by using nonconducting material to form the cushion plates, an electric current may be passed through one rail rail t rough the meta lic tie.

it will further be seen. that I have provided means for-preventing movement of the several parts pl the road bed equipment after A the same have been secured to the bed blocks.

What 1 claim is:

1. In a road hed equipment, the combination with bed blocks Having a cavity in the central portion thereorn and grooves in the lower faces thereof; of a rail chair seated in said cavity, a cushion plate below said chair, posts at each corner of said rail chair forming channels, a tie disposed over said rail chair and between said posts, an auxiliary cushion plate above said tie, a locking plate in one of said grooves, bolts extending through said bed blocks and secured to the locking plate and means at the upper end oi" said bolts to secure a rail to the bed blocks-and on said auxiliary cushion plate.

Aandrevented from assing to the opposite IOO 2. In a device of the class described the v combination with a bed block having exten sions thereon, a cavity in the .upper face of said bed block, intersecting grooves in the lower face thereof and vertically lissposed slots through said bed block; of a rail chair adapted to be seated in said cavity, posts at each corner of said chair to form channels on the chair, a rail seated in one ot said channels, clamps between said posts adapted to engage the base of the rail, cushioning means for said rail and chair, a locking plate in one of said grooves and partly embedded in the block, said plate having openings therein adapted to register with the slots in the bed block and a bolt removably secured to said plate and extendingthrough the chair and clamps and means to secure the clamps on the bolts whereby the rail will be held in position on the bed block.

3. 'In a device of the class described the combination with abed block having vertically disposcd slots therethrough; of a rail, a chair for said rail, clamps adapted to en gage the. base of said rail, a locking plate on the embedded therein, said plate `having v'open IIO lower face oi said bed block and partly ings registering with the slots in thebed block, bolts extending through said slots and `openings in the rail chair and clamps, an

angular head lon the lower end of said bolts adapted to engage the lower face ofthe locking plate, lugs on said bolts adapted to engage the upper face of seid looking plate and prevent longitudinal movement of the bolt and means to secure the clamps on the upper ends of the bolts and the base ofthe rail.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a bed block; ofvmeans to secure a rail thereto comprising a locking plate having openings therein, bolts adapted to be disposed' through slots in the bed block and openlngsiu the locking plate, an angularhead on the lower ends of said bolts ada ted to engage the lower face of the locking p ate, lugs on said bolts adapted'to engage the upper face of said locking late whereby said 2o bolts will be normally ed to the late; clamps disposed over the upper ends o said bolts and onto the base of the rail and means to secure said clamps in osition.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 25 name to this specification-in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN DEAM KNEEDLER. 

